Faithfull, Faithless - Mari’s Book Club Pt. 3

“You might think that at such a point of stupefaction I had reached the nadir of my wilful descent into self destruction, but you would be mistaken. It was only the beginning.”

From Marianne Faithfull YT Channel

I had been gifted the autobiography Faithfull a few months back by a dear friend of mine who admitted to having known nothing about Marianne Faithfull when he bought it from our favourite second-hand bookshop. He said he simply had bought it because Faithfull and I share a first name, there was “a pretty lady smoking on the cover”, and he thought it’d make a brilliant gift for me. He was absolutely correct.

From Marianne Faithfull YT Channel

For those of you unfamiliar, Marianne Faithfull is a British-Austrian rockstar, infamous ex-girlfriend and recovered addict. She rose to fame during the sixties in England and quickly gained a lot of reputation and misconceptions about her person. Chronologically ordered, here are only few of the labels which the public stuck to her:

• the epitome of everything English

• an innocent angel led astray by demonic figures (Mick Jagger, if you wondered)

• a damsel in distress

• a junkie

• a satanic witch

Being quite the “opinionated woman” since early childhood, Marianne was prone to gain negative attention from the press. At only eighteen, she emerged into the public eye with her hit single “As Tears Go By”. It was written by Keith Richards, Andrew Oldham and Mick Jagger (whom she later became romantically involved with). She became very wealthy very fast and enjoyed living the luxurious life you see in the movies: dress up with the gals, expensive flats and vacations, clubs and partying.

From Marianne Faithfull YT Channel

Sadly, from there on her life seemed like somewhat of a Series of Unfortunate Events. Her drug habits began to spiral out of control around the time of the bust at Redlands - Keith Richards’ home where the cops arrested him and Jagger on account of drug possession. Marianne, of course, was as responsible as them in the matter, but Jagger insisted on taking full responsibility and avoiding her imprisonment. “Instead of doing my Joan of Arc bit, I was stuck for years with this ridiculous rock-star-moll image. Or worse, the helpless, little victim of the big bad rockstars.”

From Marianne Faithfull YT Channel

Faithfull does a deep-dive into the excruciating process of recovery, showing the reader the dark, ugly sides that the press previously exploited - this time, through Marianne’s own perspective. After three marriages, two suicide attempts, and many years: Marianne Faithfull is redeemed by the public eye. She walks us through what it meant being a woman during a time like this, the hectic psychedelic English sixties, and a bold woman nonetheless. She doesn’t miss an opportunity to reference Marlene Dietrich and William Borroughs, Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky, Simone de Beauvoir and Greek mythology in all its glory. Approaching the end of her autobiography with a hopeful and optimistic note,  Marianne ties this masterpiece with her recipe for a garlic lemon chicken, stating that “I’ve always thought that the proper way to end one’s life story is with a bit of practical advice … I loved Marlene Dietrich’s autobiography, which really has nothing in it except how to sew lavender bags, line a drawer and brush a dog.”

From Marianne Faithfull YT Channel

I recommend this book if you like/enjoy: the English rock scene, stubborn women, fast-paced books, the psychology of addiction and many, many name drops.

Overall Marianne (Gotlib) Rating: 10/10.

Cheers,

Marianne